Public Property

Public Property Assistance

At the direction of the president, FEMA can provide funding and technical assistance to state and local government and certain private, non-profit institutions for the repair or replacement of public properties damaged or destroyed by a declared major disaster. Among these can be restoration of public-owned facilities (roads, bridges, buildings, parks, etc.) and other facilities considered necessary to re-establish the integrity of the disaster area's infrastructure.

FEMA also can provide assistance for emergency protective measures, debris removal, emergency communications and emergency public transportation. In addition, the agency may make limited loans to local governments which have suffered a substantial loss from their tax rolls and other revenues as a result of the disaster.

With the exclusion of these community disaster loans, however, it is important to note that the public assistance funding is made available on a cost-sharing basis in which FEMA normally provides at least 75 percent payment of the eligible costs for essential emergency services and the repair or replacement of damaged public property. In certain cases, such as flooding recoveries, this percentage can be reduced for damages to public facilities that are located in federally-mapped flood zones but are not insured by a standard flood insurance policy.

The role of the NC Public Assistance Program is to serve as the direct contact between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the applicant. Reimbursement is available to all organizations and communities meeting requirements. Trained grant managers help applicants through the reimbursement process.

Local governments and certain non-profit organizations can seek federal funding assistance to cover 75 percent of the costs of emergency protective measures (such as additional law enforcement, emergency response and public transportation), debris removal and repairs to critical public facilities. The remaining share will be covered by the state.

An applicant briefing will be held in each county for the local officials, non-profit organizations, schools and other public entities to discuss the public assistance program. At that time, each entity fills out a request for public assistance. Once the documentation is turned in, a kickoff meeting will be held. with FEMA, N.C. Emergency Management and the applicants to discuss damages and their efforts in recovery.

So far, Category A – Debris Removal and Category B- Emergency Protective Measures are the only approved categories. NCEM hopes to add other categories as more damages are documented.

Counties that were not included in the federal disaster declaration, but who believe they have incurred substantial damages from which they cannot recover, can request a state/federal preliminary damage assessment to review the damages. Damages must exceed $3.27 per capita for the county.